Mighty Ducks 1. Chapter 1

1. Everytime

_It was three a.m. when you woke me up and we jumped in the car and drove as far as we could go, just to get away..._

Nia (Knee-ah) was pulling at her hair in frustration at the roots, the burgandy streaked dark brown hair falling over her hands in a short waterfall. A sharp sigh escaped her lips as she stared down at her textbook, nothing soaking in. This wasn't where she wanted to be, this wasn't what she wanted to be doing. She wanted to be rollerblading outside in the courtyard of her prestigious high school, Eden Hall Acadamy. Rollerblading was her security blanket whenever something bad happened to her, and that day was not the best day that she'd had in her high school career. She heaved another sigh before grabbing her rollerblades and ipod and leaving her dorm room to skate around the courtyard and reflect on the day.

She tore down the halls like a bat out of Hell, jumping down the stairwell three stairs at a time, making people stare at her as she went by. _'If only I had a friend here...'_ Nia was only sent to Eden Hall at the beginning of this year by her rich step-dad, and the transfer at the beginning of her senior year in high school wasn't easy for her. The teachers never let up on the homework that the students got, but she got it all done with time to spare, usually.

When she got down to the courtyard, she pulled her chin-length hair into a messy ponytail, and cuffed her low rider pants legs up so she could pull her rollerblades on after removing her purple high-top chucks. After she rolled her pants legs back down and stood up on her blades, she readjusted her black tank top that ended right at her belly button revealing a tattoo of a moon with a pink and purple night cap on her right hip bone and a dragon with tribal symbols, and the Chinese symbol for "wolf" around the tail, on the small of her back. There was a Fairie holding a colorguard flag on her left forearm, being covered by an armguard, and a mushroom on the underside of her right wrist covered by her studded pink leather wrist band. The angel tattoo on her right bisep was something that was important to her, it had the initials of both of her grandfathers, her dad, and one of her friends on the angel's robe. She put her ipod on its arm band on her left arm and The Used blared out of her headphones. She kissed her left index and middle fingers and touched them to the angel before starting to skate.

_...We talked about our lives until the sun came up now I'm thinkin' 'bout how I wish I could go back, just for one more day, one more day with you..._

Nia took a deep breath as she thought about the day's events. She had failed an important test in her Advanced Placement US History class that morning, she didn't make the colorguard even though she didn't mess up at all, but the biggest shock had come at luch. She had been sitting outside under a shade tree in the courtyard eating by herself when she recieved a text message from her boyfriend saying that he had found someone else. He couldn't even say it over the phone or wait until she went back home to break up with her. He had to do it on a stupid text message. After everything that the two of them had been through and everything that she had done for him, he had the balls to break up with her.

Distracted from her skating, Nia fell on her butt. She pulled her knees up to her chin and started rocking back and forth as she was crying, letting out all of her emotions. It figured that ever since her mom had married her rich step-dad, everything in her life would go downhill. She hadn't heard from any of her friends since school started, she was starting to fail, her mother didn't want her to come home, and now Bryce broke up with her just when she had thought that nothing else could go wrong in her life.

A boy passing by happened to notice Nia on the ground crying, so he went over to see if there was anything that he could do to help.

"Uh...are you alright? Is there anything that I can do to help?" he asked awkwardly. She looked up at him with her hazel-green eyes and laughed bitterly.

"What can you do?! Unless you can travel through time and make it so my life doesn't suck, what can you do?!" she demanded getting up and grabbing her chucks and skating to the elevator in her near by dorm building, not listening when he called something back out to her.

_...Everytime I see your face, everytime you look my way, it's like it all falls into place, everything feels right. Ever since you walked away and left my life in disaray, all I want is one more day. It's all I need is one more day with you..._

yes, short I know, but it's a start. I DO NOT own Might Ducks, just the characters that you aren't familiar with, and I DO NOT own the song "Everytime", Simple Plan does. thank you for reading. PLEASE RATE! puppy dog eyes


	2. Let It Bleed

2.Let It Bleed

_This poison's my intoxication, I break the needle off in my skin, pick the scabs and pick the bleeding and assume that it was all in vain..._

When Nia arrived in her dorm room, her room mate was in there with her boyfriend, and weren't even phased by Nia's storming in, her pulling off of her blades and throwing her chucks, grabbing her black flip-flops, and storming right back out slamming the door after grabbing her Tinker Bell purse. She stopped in the nearest bathroom and washed her face with cold water so that it wouldn't look like she was crying, then applied her make-up very simply and walked out acting like nothing had happened.

Nia was taking advanced horseback riding lessons at Eden Hall, so she decided that she would go and take her horse out for a ride around the campus to try and find some enjoyment out of it.

The stables were empty of people when she went to retrieve her beautiful chestnut thurough bred racing horse, that her step-dad bought to buy her off when she was little. She had a few ribbons and trophies for the barrel races on her chestnut mare, Lily. She walked down to Lily's stable, her step-dad paid someone to come and take care of Lily so that Nia could concentrait on her studies.

"Hey, Lily. Hey old girl. How's it goin', pretty?" Nia said in a soothing voice as she opened Lily's stall door. "Come on, Lily. You wanna go for an evening ride like we used to, old girl? Come on, baby." She said leading Lily out of her stall and brushing her back before putting the blanket on her back. She hummed an old tune as she put Lily's saddle on her. "Alright, old girl, let's do this."

Nia climbed up into the saddle and took Lily's reigns into her hands and eased her out of the barn. She walked Lily around for a while before setting off at a trot to nowhere in particular, just cruising the campus. This ride caused Nia to be in a better mood, when she returned Lily to her stall as night was falling.

_...The fire department couldn't drown the city. They didn't even try to wash it clean. And what , did you think that I was sober, from the edge 'cause I'm on fucking fire. Poisonious scabs that's never healing, I can't believe that I've kept it clean. The most that I could do for you is keep on lying..._

There was one person in the stables when Nia brought Lily back. Hey was a tall lanky guy wearing a cowboy hat. Nia had seen him around school with a bunch of people. _'Must be nice to have friends.'_ she thought to herself as she got out of the saddle and started to undo it. The boy came over to her.

"Excuse me, but would you like me ta do that for ya?" he asked with an accent worthy of his appearel.

"No, thank you. While my step-dad will trust someone with my horse, I don't. She's too precious for just anyone to handle her. I'm sorry, but she's the only thing that makes me happy. I hate it here, and she's my only friend." she said brushing her after removing the saddle and blanket.

"It's alright. I understand. Back home I wouldn't let no one or nuthin take care of my horse. He's a beautiful rodeo horse." he said smiling a knowing smile.

"So's Lily. I race her in the barrel races, or at least I used to. Don't do much of anything now. Not since he decided that he didn't want a daughter, he wanted a son, so Mom went along with it for sending me and Lily to this god forsaken school." Nia lead Lily into her stall, gave her a sugar cube, filled her little food bucket, and promptly turned on heel to leave after shutting the stall door. As she was leaving the boy stopped her as she was walking past him.

"By the way, my name's Dwayne. Dwayne Robertson." he said extending his hand in a gentlemanly way.

"Nia." she said putting her hand in his as he brought it up to his lips and kissed her hand. She was puzzled and confused by his actions. She just turned and left, turning her ipod on so that it was blaring My Chemical Romance.

She had found a nice little spot to sit at night to watch the stars at the beginning of the school year. As she gazed up at the stars, she was thinking about herself and the matching fairie tattoos that her two closest friends and her had gotten for colorguard. She pulled her arm guard and wrist band off to look at the tattoos. She was only seventeen, but had gotten her friend, who was eighteen, to sign for her. Her mom and step-dad didn't care about her at all. They didn't even say anything when she came home sporting them. She looked back up at the stars as a shooting star went through the sky, she closed her eyes. _'I wish that I could have friends here.'_ Her cell phone rang, so she answered it. To her surprise it was Bryce.

"Hello?" she asked stiffly.

"Hey, Babe. What's up?" Bryce's voice asked tentatively from the other line.

"You know, the usual. A shitty day, especially when I got your text, Bryce."

"I'm sorry, okay? You know that I wouldn't have done it without being forced to."

"What are you saying?" she asked not believing his story for a second.

"Your step-dad told me, Nikki, and Courtney not to contact you at all and then made me text you to break up with you. I need to get you out of that school so that we can get you away from him. You kn-" he started.

"And what can you do?!" she demanded cutting him off. "You're just an over sexed teenaged boy. Who obviously doesn't give a shit about me, because if you did then you wouldn't have let my step-dad push you around."

"But Nia-"

"Don't you 'But, Nia' me, Bryce. Don't you even try to give some lame excuse as to why you did what you did. Don't even call me anymore, Bryce! I don't need you making things more complicated than they already are!" she yelled into the phone, then hung up on him.

There were a few people that she pushed past that had heard her yelling, ignoring them as she headed up to her dorm. When she opened the door, her room mate and her boyfriend had left, probably had left to his apartment. _'Can't they just always go there?'_

Nia bitterly threw off her clothes and took a long, hot shower. She just stood there, letting the water wash away the day and all of her mild problems.

_...Let it bleed. Damn the rest for what it's worth whoa. Watch the fire, fill your lungs with soul for the last time. If you feel like dieing you might wanna sing._

Yeah, that's chapter two, and things are going horrible for Nia. Will they ever look up again? I DO NOT own Mighty Ducks, just the characters that you don't know. I DO NOT own "Let it Bleed", The Used does. PLEASE RATE! puppy dog eyes


	3. Not Like the Other Girls

3. Not Like the Other Girls

_She's faded away, away from this world, lifted like a feather..._

When her alarm clock went off, Nia slammed the off button. The alarm of church bells made her twitch. She got up and stretched her arms over her head, then bent over and touched her toes. She felt like breaking a few rules today at this prestigious school.

As she was picking out her clothes, she wanted everyone to see her tattoos. She put on a pair of black low rise capris that showed her wolf tattoo on her right calf and her phoenix on her left calf, a loose black fishnet top that ended above her belly button and had a hole where her angel was so that people could see it, and a black low cut tank top that ended at the bottom of her fishnet top showing her moon and dragon, she didn't put on her arm guard or wrist band, and she put on her black low-top chucks. She put on her necklace with Bryce's class ring, out of habbit, then proceeded to put on thick black eyeliner, black eyeshadow, and side parted her streaked hair so that the streaks were on the top. Satisfied with herself, she put her books into her bookbag, grabbed her purse and ipod and walked out the door down to breakfast.

As she grabbed an apple and two pieces of toast, Dwayne and his group of friends noticed her in her dark appearel. HIM was blaring from her headphones this morning as she sat down in a corner by herself. She didn't notice Dwayne or his group of friends as she ate her light breakfast and started to sketch, so she didn't know they were talking about her.

"Y'all remember that girl I was tellin' y'all I met in the stables? That's her over in that corner, only she wasn't dressed like that yesterday." Dwayne said to his friends.

"Yeah, I saw her in the courtyard crying, yesterday. When I asked if I could help she asked me what could I do. Then she stormed off into her dorm building." one of the boys said.

"Look, she's got more tattoos than Portman has. She's got four." an annoying boy piped up before getting a glare from the boy that he had been indicating. Nia got up to throw her apple core away.

"Make that six." a big boy said in a Philidelphia accent.

By this time, Nia knew that she was being stared at by this group of boys and she knew that they were talking about her.

_...She's not like the other girls. She lives in the clouds, and talks to the birds..._

She approached their table turning her ipod off. She had a smirk on her face and leaned over the table.

"Is there anything that you guys would like to say about me to my face?" she said in a pleasant voice keeping the smirk. "No? Then I suggest that you stop talking about me." her voice no longer pleasant.

"Well, hi, Nia." Dwayne said making her look up. She hadn't notinced him.

"Dwayne, so these are your friends. Hi, I'm Nia." she said faking pleasantry. "And I don't like being talked about because I have enough problems in my life without nimrods saying shit about me. Have a nice day." She walked off rolling her eyes as two girls walked in to join the group of boys, who were still recovering from that low blow.

"What was that all about?" the blonde girl asked, sitting down.

"Wow. That was hot." the annoying boy piped up again.

"Someone's got a firey temper." one of the other boys claimed. The two toughest looking boys looked at each other and they knew they were thinking the same thing, that Nia was their type.

"Her dorm room is next to ours." the brown haired girl stated as an after thought.

"Oh yeah, that's right." the other girl chimed in. "But she's hardly ever there, because her room mate and her boyfriend are always there. But when she's there, she usually just plays loud music and we don't hear a peep out of her."

"She seems nice enough, she's just going through a rough patch." Dwayne said joining in the conversation. "She was calm last night when I met her in the stables."

"She thinks that her life sucks." one of the boys said thoughtfully. "At least that's what she said when I asked if I could help her. She's in my advanced math class and she's doing pretty well in there." The boy got up and headed towards the doors to go to his class.

Nia was sitting in the courtyard waiting for the bell to ring so she could go to english. She was sketching a picture of her two closest friends, Nikki and Courtney, and Bryce was already finished. The boy that had offered to help her yesterday found her in the courtyard and approached her.

"Uh, Nia, right?" he asked shyly. She turned around to look at him recognized him and nodded, before going back to her sketch. "Uh, can I sit here?" he asked indicating the spot on the bench next to her. She shrugged.

"It's a free country. Do what you want." she said coldly.

"I'm Fulton Reed, I'm in your advanced math class. Actually, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to, I mean one of the guys in the group, Adam Banks, is having a horror movie marathon at his house tonight since it's Friday. And I was wondering if you'd like to come and hang out with us. Make some friends. We're a tight knit group and we could always use more people to bring variety into the group. So if you want to come, just let me know. See you later." he said leaving her to stare at her sketch. Someone actually wanted to be friends with her. She couldn't believe it as she headed to her english class. She had all day to ponder on what should be done.

_...Hopeless little love. She's not like the other girls, I know..._

That's chapter three. thank you for reading. I don't own Might Ducks and I don't own "Not Like the Other Girls", The Rasmus does. Please Rate. puppy dog eyes


	4. Predictable edited

4. Predictable

Something isn't right, I can feel it again, feel it again. This isn't the first time that you've left me waiting...

Nia considered her choice all day long, and came to her conclusion while she was eating lunch in the courtyard. _'Well, what do I have to loose, besides, I could use some friends.'_

Fulton was already sitting in their advanced math class when Nia walked in, anxiously awaiting her answer. She approached him and gave a small smile.

"Hey, Nia." he said smiling innocently. "Have you thought of my offer?"

"Yeah, Fulton, I have. And I have nothing going on tonight, so sure, I'll come. Besides, I could use a few friends since I'm still new here." she said off handedly.

"And you're definately different. But in a good way. Meet me in the courtyard at seven thirty. Bring anything that you might need to make youself comfortable for the night because we're all crashing there. The girls will be upstairs and the guys will be downstairs." She nodded.

"Okay, no problem. I'll be there."

When Nia got into her room after dinner, it was six thirty. Her room mate left a note saying that she would be at her boyfriend's all weekend. Nia muttered a thanks and took a shower. When she got out, she put on her short lime green shorts adorned with monkeys and the lime green tank top that she had made for her that had "MonkeyBone" stitched on it with purple thread. She combed her hair, then pulled her purple beanie on. She made sure to pack her brush, toothbrush, glasses for right before bed and right when she got up, contact case, contact cleaning solution, and her cell phone and charger. She grabbed her pillow and a stuffed wolf with a collar that said "Bryce", and pulled on her lime green flip-flops and walked out of her dorm, to be met by Julie and Connie carrying much of the same things and in their pj's, too.

"Hi, I'm Julie Gaffney. Fulton told us that you were coming, too." the blonde said smiling and extending a hand.

"I'm Connie Moreau." the brunette said extending a hand as well.

"Nia. Fulton told me to meet him in the courtyard." she said shaking both of their hands.

The three girls clicked quickly, as most normal girls do, and made fast friends. Fulton was standing with another boy that had curly hair, when the girls appraoched them. They were in pj's, also, but weren't carrying anything.

"Hey, Nia." Fulton said smiling, and offering to carry her stuff.

"I'm Dean Portman. Pleased to meet you, beautiful." the boy standing with Fulton said, already starting to hit on her.

"The name's Nia. And I can handle carrying my own stuff, Fulton. Thanks though."

"Well, everyone else is already at Banksie's house, so lets stop stalling and head on over there. Follow me, ladies, to my car." Fulton said acting like a professional driver.

The four of them followed Fulton out to a silver Dodge Neon. The girls put their stuff in the back to find Dean's and Fulton's stuff already there. The three girls got into the back seat as the boys got into the front. The ride to Adam's house wasn't more than twenty minutes, but the five of them compared taste in music, and it was no surprise that Nia had the same taste in music as Dean and Fulton.

...Sad excuses and false hopes high, I saw this coming still I don't know why I let you in...

When they arrived at Adam's house, they were instantly ushered to the basement, because Adam's brother was home from college and watching over Adam because their parents were gone for the weekend. Down in the basement, Nia was introduced to everyone.

"Hey everyone, shut up!" Fulton yelled, settling everyone down. "Everyone, this is Nia. Nia this is Russ Tyler, Ken Wu, Luis Mendoza, Les Averman, Greg Goldberg, Charlie Conway, Adam Banks over there, Guy Germain, and you already met Dwayne. So, Adam, when are the movie's gonna start?" As if on que, her phone rang, she looked at the caller id and rolled her eyes. It was Bryce.

"Excuse me for a minute, guys." she said stepping outside to take the call. "What?!"

"That's not a nice way to answer the phone, Nia." Bryce's voice rang out on the other line.

"I'm trying to make some new friends and I told you last night not to call. It's over between us, Bryce. Bye!" She hung up, then rejoined the group inside.

"Okay, well now that everyone is here, pick a spot on the couches or the floor and let's start this marathon." Adam said laying out bowls of chips and popcorn and opening a cooler of soda.

She grabbed her pillow and stuffed wolf from the pile of stuff and picked a place on the floor to stretch out on.

"Nice tat of the moon, Nia, not to mention the fairie on your arm." Dean commented from the couch above Nia.

"Thanks." she said smiling to herself.

"'Bryce?' Is that your boyfriend's name or something, Nia?" Fulton asked from the space of floor next to her.

"Well, it's my ex-boyfriend's name. We recently broke up, but I can't sleep with out this stuffed animal. He's got one with my name, too." she added as an after thought. "And this is his class ring...he's got mine on an identical chain. Haven't seen him, and I probably won't see him for a long time. The way things are going, I won't be leaving until after graduation. I'm not wanted at home, so I'll just stay at crappy ass Eden Hall 'til graduation. But enough about me. Let's watch the movies!" she said quickly changing the subject and taking the focus off of her before she started crying again.

The movies weren't that scary, but whenever something popped up, all of the girls screamed, making the boys jump. Nia even found herself grasping Fulton's arm tightly at one point. As she let go, she realized that she was blushing slightly.

After the fifth movie, or so, the girls got up and stretched before trecking upstairs to stay in the guest rooms, that were already prepared for them. Each girl got their own room, but they gathered in Nia's room to chat.

"So, Nia, what do you think of the guys?" Connie asked hinting as if she knew something.

"Well, they're alright. They're definately not anything at all like the people that I usually befriend, except for maybe Fulton and Dean." Nia said looking down. "I had a very specific group of people that I hung out with back home." Julie and Connie gave her knowing looks.

"I think that Fulton likes you, Nia. It's clear that you have all the guys' attention, except for Guy because he's occupied with Connie, but I think that Fulton has a crush on you and has had one on you for a while." Julie said smiling.

"Yeah, and I saw you grab onto his arm during the movies." Connie said chuckling. Nia blushed slightly, before removing her contacts and putting on her glasses.

"Not to mention that Portman was hitting on you the second that we approached them." Julie said.

"Yeah, but, come on, my boyfriend just broke up with me yesterday. I haven't had enough time to heal, let alone to start thinking about dating someone else. If I were to start dating someone though, I don't really know anything about these guys." Nia said as she turned off her phone and plugged it into the charger.

"Might I make one small suggestion?" Connie asked. Nia nodded, sitting back down on the bed. "If you want a good guy, go with Fulton. If you want the whole 'bad boy' thing, go with Portman. Fulton might not look it, but he's a sweetie. I grew up with him, so I know everything about his personality and most of his life experiences, just in case you want to know. I remember Coach Bombay teaching him how to skate in sixth grade so that we could use his slap shot."

"Coach Bombay?" Nia asked curiously. She wasn't into sports, and didn't understand anything about any of them, except for football, because of Bryce.

"Yeah. We play hockey for Eden Hall. Coach Bombay was our peewee and Olympics hockey coach." she said absent mindedly. Nia nodded her head.

"So, all of you are on the hockey team?" she asked after a minute of processing what Connie had just said.

"Yeah." Connie and Julie said in unison, nodding their heads.

"I would have never known, or guessed, that. I don't follow sports, except for the X-Games. Football is the only real sport that I know about, because Bryce plays football at my old school. Normal sports don't interest me. I don't understand them." she said yawning the end of her sentence. "I guess we should turn in for the night, you guys."

The other two girls went to their rooms, leaving Nia to ponder their converstation. Nia gave up thinking too much about it and fell asleep quickly.

...I knew it all along! You're so predictable! I knew something would go wrong...

Meanwhile, down in the basement, all of the boys were ignoring the movie and were discussing the new arrival to their midst.

"Fulton, good idea to bring her here." Guy said. "She's so hot." Dwayne gave Guy a look that could kill.

"You already have a girlfriend, Guy. You shouldn't be looking at other girls." Dwayne said with a gentleman's dignity.

"Yeah, but I can look as long as I don't touch." Guy said nudging Dwayne. "Lighten up, Cowboy."

"Besides, I think she likes Fulton, you guys. Did you all see the way the shamelessly grabbed onto his arm." Luis said giving Fulton a little nudge. Fulton blushed slightly, but just enough for the guys to notice.

"Aww, Fulton's blushing! I think the Fulton-meister likes the Nia-meister, too." Averman said jeeringly. Portman took off his shirt and flexed his muscles.

"I think she would rather have a piece of this sexy man, right here." Portman said posing to the guys' boos and taunts.

"Put it on! Put it back on!" the guys yelled to him.

"But, I know that she is definately my type." Dean said putting his shirt back on. He missed the look that Fulton gave him. Fulton had been hoping that she would notice him since she arrived, but was always mustering up the courage to talk to her.

"I don't know, Portman. Isn't your type the kind that puts out easily?" Guy asked curiously. He recieved a nod from Dean. "Dude, she doesn't seem like the kind to put out easily."

"I'm up for a challenge. But, if I get her, you guys can't say anything to her about this conversation. I want to be able to win her over without her hating me in the end." Dean said removing his bandana. Fulton gave a dark look.

"And what about when you break her heart, Portman?" Fulton asked, getting a group of puzzled looks in return.

"By that time it won't matter. I would have gotten what I wanted."

"You're such an asshole. What about her feelings? You're gonna break her spirit." The group looked almost horrified when Fulton spoke those words. They distinctly remembered what had happened when the two Bash Brothers had met each other, and fought constantly.

"Uh...hey, guys? Can we just get some sleep?" Charlie said stopping the fight from breaking out.

Dean and Fulton slept on opposite sides of the basement that night as the guys fell asleep. Fulton was the last one awake.

'Damn him. She's all that I ever wanted, and he knows that.' Fulton thought to himself.

True, Dean was notorious for being with the "easy" girls, and for leaving trophy condoms on the other guys' door knobs. Normally he gave Fulton a head's up by leaving a tie on the door. It bothered Fulton, especially when Dean teased him for being a virgin. He was just waiting for the right person, because sex wasn't just something to brag about to him. It was something that should be cherished with someone special.

"You won't think sex is so special after you have it." Dean had told him, before trying to hook him up with a girl willing to go for it with him. Fulton was disgusted, so Dean had her.

Fulton's patience with Dean was wearing thin. He had told Dean everything that he could find out about Nia, and always said that he wanted her. Dean was going too far this time and crossing that fine line that he shouldn't have ever started to cross.

Fulton got up and walked outside. The fresh air felt so good on his hot skin. Dean made his blood boil now-a-days.

...Something's always wrong. So you don't have to call, or say anything at all. You're so predictable. So predictable...

Nia awoke with a start from a dream. The clock showed that it wasn't long after she had fallen asleep. She got up to look out the window, because the stars usually settled her mind. She saw Fulton down in the yard, lying on a blanket that he had brought out there. Curious, Nia left for outside to talk to him. He really did seem like a nice guy, but he wasn't really what she was looking for right now.

Fulton was startled to see her come out to him, but saw this as an opportunity to make a move on her. If only he could work up the nerve.

"It's a nice night out, huh?" Nia asked sitting down next to where Fulton was lying. He looked up at her as she looked up at the sky.

"Yeah." he said in awe of Nia's beauty under the night sky. "It would be better if we could see the aurora borealis. Then it would be pretty." Fulton was searching for the right thing to say to Nia. Afraid to say the wrong thing.

"Yeah. It would be." Nia sighed. The days events weighing down on her shoulders. It had been a long, horrid day in a string of other long, horrid days. The world didn't seem to line up like it used to. Everything used to be fine, until he happened to her life.

The silence surrounded the two as the seconds turned to minutes. Nia really did enjoy Fulton's company, but he was too shy for her at the moment. She knew that she'd have to be the bold one to get to Fulton's emotions. She laid dawn beside him and scooted close to him to see how he would react. It wasn't what she was expecting.

"Uh, it's getting late, Nia. Maybe you should head to bed. I know I am, because I'm beat." he said letting the both of them down.

"Yeah. Whatever." she muttered, let down by his reaction.

As Fulton wathced Nia go back upstairs, he was mentally kicking his butt for screwing up the first real chance he had to get Nia's attention. He was so angry with himself for blowing his big chance, that he had a hard time falling asleep.

As Nia walked back upstairs to go back to sleep, she was upset over how Fulton had choked. She figured that he was just not ready for a relationship right now on the same level as she was. As she curled up into a ball on the bed, she shook the thoughts of the day from her head and, luckily, fell asleep without having any more bad dreams.

..So, take your empty words. Your broken promises. And all the time you stole, 'cuz I am done with this. I can give it away...

Nia woke fairly early, and left before the others woke. She left a simple note on the counter, in case someone wondered where she was. She just needed the morning to herself. Everything was happening too fast. Between being broken up with, starting new friendships, and having two guys after her, Nia was feeling a little cluttered. She used the walk back to Eden Hall as a way to clear her mind. She just wanted to spend the rest of the weekend quietly in her dorm room. What she saw as she approached her door was the most discouraging thing she'd seen all week.

"What the Hell are you doing here?!" she demanded of the person standing in the hall next to her door, almost ready to pound it in. What do you want from me?! Can't you just leave me alone, Bryce?!" The tan-skinned boy looked at her with sad eyes.

"I just came to bring you your things. And to get mine back." he said in a sad, hollow voice pointing to a box sitting on the floor. He tried to hug Nia as she pushed past him to unlock her dorm room door.

"Don't touch me." she warned. "I'm not in the mood for you to just show up here and fuck with my head, damn it!"

When Nia got the door open, she dumped the box out on her bed and started throwing stuff into it, starting by breaking off the necklace with Bryce's class ring on it. He handed her her class ring as she threw his at him. She threw his letterman jacket in the box, the stuffed wolf and all the other stuffed animals that he had gotten her, all of his pictures, his letters and notes, she even threw in all of his clothes that he'd given her and all the clothes he'd ever bought her. Everything that had anything to do with Bryce went into the box. She didn't want to remember him, since he turned into the asshole he was now over the past few months that she'd been away.

When she was sure that she'd gotten everything into the box, she threw it at him. He just barely caught the box in his fingertips.

"Get out, Bryce! Get the Hell out of my life! And stay out! I don't need you and I never want to ever hear from you again!!" She screamed chasing him out of her room.

"Don't be like that, Nia." he pleaded in the hallway. "We can still be friends."

"Friends?! Friends?! Leave me the Hell alone! I don't want you as a friend!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. People were starting to come out of their rooms the see what the comotion was all about.

"Nia! Is he bothering you? Is there anyway that I can help?" a friendly male voice asked from behind her as she stood in the hallway, about to start screaming again. The voice startled her at first, then she realized who it was.

"Dean." she said exasperatedly. "Could you please escort him off campus?"

"Anything for the most beautiful girl in school." Dean said grabbing Bryce's arm roughly and dragging him down the hallway.

I do NOT own mighty ducks, only the characters you don't know. I do NOT own "predictable", Good Charlotte does. Please rate! **puppy dog eyes**


	5. A Little Less 16 Candles edited

5. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me

I confess! I messed up! Dropping I'm sorry like you're still around. And I know you're dressed up. Hey kid, you'll never live this down…

Thankful for a reason to slam her dorm door, Nia let it fly shut with a bang that reverberated down the hall. Though, the act did not free her from people for long. A knock on her door, caused a very frustrated sigh as she walked over to her door, but it was not who she thought that it might be. Dean stood sillouetted in her doorway, muscles bulging, hormones raging and a taunting smirk playing on his lips.

"I showed that boy a thing or two, and shoved him back in his Dodge Ram, right where he belongs." Dean said, stepping into Nia's room and leaning against the post of her four-poster bed. Nia was taken-aback. Dean mistook this for admiration.

"Thanks." Nia sniffed, wiping a tear off her cheek. His face fell when he saw her face.

"Oh, Nia. Are you alright? He didn't bother you that much did he? I'll go kick his ass if you want." Dean said coming into her dorm and shutting the door. Nia shook her head.

"No, it's not him it's just, ever since my step-dad wanted someone to follow in his footsteps, someone that could carry on his name, my life has gone to hell. I didn't ask for him to adopt me! I wasn't the one who married him, why did I have to get his last name, too! I never wanted any of this! I wanted my dad to stay alive! I wanted to graduate high school with the people that I've spent my whole life with. I just wanted-" but whatever Nia wanted was cut off by uncontrollable sobs.

Dean took this as his chance and pulled Nia to him, so she could cry on his shoulder. He uttered soothing words into her ear as he stroked her hair. With him there to hold her and tell her everything would be okay, it didn't take long before her sobs eased away and finally stopped. Nia had cried for so long and so hard, that she fell asleep, in Dean's arms on her bed, amidst all of her possessions that she had gotten back that day. Dean smirked to himself, as he fell asleep with Nia. Holding the beautiful, graceful, innocent angel that was to be the next victim of the man-whore that was Dean Portman.

…cuz you're just girl all the boys want to dance with. And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances. I'm slipping on your thoughts, once again dreaming…

"What the hell?!" an unpleasantly familiar voice woke Nia and Dean from wear they slept on Nia's bed. "Excuse me! You need to leave! Now! Get out of my dorm!"

"Keep your damn pants on, Stacy!" Nia grumbled in annoyance. Her eyes widened when she looked over at Dean sitting next to her on her bed. "Shit. Dean, you need to leave. I'll see you around. Bye." Nia muttered her good-bye as she pushed him out the door. She turned around and faced her roommate.

"So? Who was that, and why was he here?" Stacy rounded on Nia.

Nia didn't care what Stacy had to say. She grabbed her ipod and slammed the door shut behind her. She wanted to take Lily for a run.

Meanwhile, back at Dean's and Fulton's dorm, Dean was grinning like a moron as he walked in to see Fulton pacing.

"What's your problem, dude? What's with the pacing?" Dean asked, still grinning.

"You were with her weren't you? Nia?" Fulton demanded to know as Portman laid nonchalantly on his bed.

"Dude, chill. She was in need of a knight in shining armor, and it's lucky that I just happened to be around to help her out." Dean said cooly.

"Dude! What the hell is your problem?! What did you do?!" Fulton's anger raging inside of him.

"Dude, chill. If I had put the moves on her, I wouldn't have hesitated to inform you as soon as I walked through the door.

"Why the hell you gotta do this for, Portman? You know she is the only thing in the world that I want! Why do you have to go and screw with the only thing that I want?!" Fulton was so close to beating up Dean, that he was shaking, trying to control himself.

"For the simple fact that I want her, and you're too damn scared to make a move on her. Besides, she needed a shoulder to cry on. And a nice, warm, muscular body to fall asleep next to." Dean had intentionally hit a sore spot to try to shut Fulton up.

"Fuck you, man!" Fulton said with a hint of danger in his voice before he stormed out of their dorm.

Fulton went for a walk around the campus, trying to calm down. He had never blown up like that at Dean before, but then Dean had never crossed that line before.

…She said, she said, she said 'Why don't you just drop dead?' I don't blame you, for being you, but you can't blame me for hanging in…

Nia didn't even talk to Lily as she saddled her up for their ride. Nia just listened to her ipod with a face as solid as stone, thinking and not really hearing the music blaring in her ears. She was thinking about how screwed up her life had been lately. Thinking about how much she wanted to hurt someone to make herself feel better, but she couldn't afford to get expelled. She remembered the last fight she had gotten into, when she had gotten kicked off color guard at her old school. The only reason she got kicked off was because some girl had spread a nasty rumor about her. She had found the girl after school and beat the living snot out of her. Shortly after, she was dropped into Eden Hall.

That was when she had stopped eating regularly, only eating fleeting meals at infrequent, lengthy intervals. It had started to effect her body the third week at Eden Hall, when the lack of food had stopped her period from coming. Nia knew at once that was why she skipped it, still being a virgin and waiting for someone that she felt a real connection with. She scoffed out loud as she thought about when she thought Bryce had been that person. She wanted the last 7 months of her life back from Bryce. He could give her everything else back, except for her time.

Nia was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that a fellow horse-back rider had came up next to her and was now riding beside her. Her music was so loud that she didn't even hear him trying to catch her attention. It wasn't until she looked down that she noticed the horse beside hers. She looked at the horse for a minute, before looking up to see who was riding it. She was a little surprised to see Dwayne mounted ontop of the horse, but not very. She turned off her ipod and greeted her new friend.

"Hey, Dwayne." she said not very enthusiastically. Dwayne picked up on her sullen voice and was bluntly naive when he responded.

"What's wrong, Nia?" Dwayne asked making Nia drop her head.

"My ex showed up today. So, a scene was made. I just can't seem to get out of the limelight. Then I cried on Dean's shoulder and fell asleep with him in my bed. Woke up to my roommate screaming at me. Came out to ride Lily and got lost in thought. One hell of a day." Nia said, not meeting Dwayne's eyes. His brow was furrowed.

"I'm sorry, Nia. You don't deserve all the bad things that are happening to you. You deserve something better than the life that's mocking you now."

Dwayne's words made Nia look up at him. He was sad for her. Everyone else thought he was stupid, because he was from Texas, but Nia saw him as an equal. That made all the difference in the world for Dwayne. He knew that Nia needed a friend, and he liked her for her, not because she was a pretty and skinny girl.

They rode in a comfortable silence to the stables, where they each took care of their horses and parted without breaking the understood friendly bond that the two shared. Nia smiled slightly to herself as she started up the stairwell to her dorm. Feeling a little better about the events of the day thanks to Dwayne.

...They say, 'What are you waiting for?! Kiss her! Kiss her!' I set my clocks early, 'cuz I know I'm always late...

I do NOT own mighty ducks...disney does, and i do NOT own "a little less sixteen candles, a little more touch me" fall out boy does. please rate puppy dog eyes


	6. Cat & Mouse

6. Cat and Mouse

_Softly we tremble tonight. Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left insight. I said I'd never leave, you'll never change. I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life..._

Nia had driven to school for the first time since she got her drivers license, and she was excited. She smiled as she pulled up next to Nikki and Bryce.

"Well, well, look who finally got her license." Nikki said teasing gently. "It's about time."

"Hey, beautiful. How's it going?" Bryce asked, embracing Nia.

"Good. I like driving, it's fun. We gonna win tonight, Bryce? I hear the other team's marching band is coming to scope us out." Nia said as the three of them started walking toward the school to be met up with by Courtney.

"Well, I hope that we kick their marching band in the competition tomorrow." Courtney said kicking air.

"We'll definately win tonight. This team is our biggest rivals, we'll win hands down." Bryce said draping an arm around Nia's shoulders. "And you three will be spectacular at half-time, and at tomorrow's competition. Especially you, Miss Rifle Captain." Bryce nuzzled Nia's ear as they entered the cafeteria for breakfast.

The day seemed to drag on forever as Nia anxiously awaited for the football game that night. At lunch, the marching band practiced for the pep rally that afternoon at the end of the day. Nia, Nikki, and Courtney were breathless as they finished the practice, by going over the show sets one last time before returning to their classes.

"Okay, circle around!" the band director called. The marching band obeyed. "We're all set for the pep rally. It'll be fun. Battle of the classes. The show will be great at the football game. Remember, the only reason the stands are full is because they're here to see us. Who cares about the football team? Not us. The competition tomorrow will be a sinch, too. Nia, make sure that your rifles are shined and the straps are nice and tight. Don't forget the streamers. Alright. Let's get back to class. BAND TEN-HUT!"

"HUT!" the entire marching band yelled going to attention.

"WHO ARE WE?!"

"GOLDEN EAGLES! HA!"

"WHO ARE WE?!"

"GOLDEN EAGLES! HA!"

"WHO ARE WE?!"

"GOLDEN EAGLES! HA!"

"WHAT'S IT ABOUT?!"

"PRIDE!"

"Alright, go to class."

Nia, Courtney, and Nikki all walked to the guard room in the band building. They rolled all of the flags and got the show flags together, before finally going to lunch.

"I'm so pumped." Nia said, linking arms with her two best friends. "This is finally our senior year, and this is our last homecoming. I can't believe it. It feels like yesterday was our first day freshman year. Ya know?"

"Yeah." the other two agreed, nodding.

...Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. Am I supposed to be happy with all I ever wanted? It comes with a price. You said...you said that you would die for me...

Nia awoke with a start. She wouldn't allow herself to finish the memory, not even in her sleep. It was all too painful. The night spent in Bryce's truck. Even though nothing had happened, there was no way to live down the rumors that had been started. All because someone didn't like her.

…You said that you would die for me…


	7. Inconsolable

7. Inconsolable

_I close the door. Like so many times, so many times before felt like a scene on the cutting room floor, when I let you walk away tonight without a word…_

The Ducks could feel the tension between the two Bash Brothers the next morning at practice. They weren't speaking to each other and Fulton was in a foul mood for no reason, as it would seem.

On a last minute whim, and an invite from Connie and Julie, Nia happened to be sitting in the stands watching their practice. That made the tension worse.

Dwayne was still happy that someone didn't think he was stupid, and genuinely enjoyed Nia's presence. She made him feel a little more secure with himself. Her friendship was something that he had sorely needed in Eden Hall when he was misunderstood among the Ducks. Nia would never truly be able to understand that her friendship could be thought of in such a high regard.

Nia was watching the team do their drills and practice scrimmaging against each other, and she understood what they were trying to do, she just didn't understand the point, or why someone would want to invent such a game. But, then again, she just wasn't much of a sports person.

Dean kept trying to make Fulton want to fight him on the ice, so that Fulton would look bad in front of Nia. It was pissing Fulton off even more. But Fulton could at least contain himself until they returned to the locker room at the end of practice.

"Dude, man, what the Hell is your problem?!" Fulton demanded of Dean. Dean just smirked.

"You know what I want. I want her. What is it that you want? You're so sexually frustrated that you don't even know what you want. And you're just mad that she's choosing me over you, because you don't know what you're doing." Dean said quietly and calmly, so that only Fulton could hear him. It pushed Fulton over the edge.

Fulton had never wanted to inflict pain on someone as much as he wanted to break Dean, not even when they had fought team Iceland had he felt such hate. Fulton punched Dean in the face, and Dean took it smiling. He was concocting a plan deep in his mind about it. The other boys on the team pulled Fulton off before he could do any major damage. He stormed out of the locker room, not talking to the coach, and not looking at Nia as she attempted to talk to him.

Feeling put-off, Nia sat back down in a seat and waited for everyone else to come out of the locker room. They each came out, muttering something about a fight. Nia was in the dark until Dwayne came out.

"Dwayne, what's going on?" Nia asked anxiously craving the information. Dwayne sat down next to Nia and filled her in.

"Fulton has been irritable all day, but after practice, he just snapped and punched Portman in the face." Dwayne said as a shocked Nia put a hand over her gaping mouth.

"Shit. I wonder what happened." Nia asked to no one. She didn't have to wait long for an answer, since Dean came out of the locker room shortly after. His face was red where Fulton had hit him, and he was going to milk it for all it was worth. "My, God. Dean, what happened?"

Dean sat down behind Nia and put his hand up to where Fulton had hit him.

"He's just snapped. I guess all the frustrations of this school made him crazy." Dean said sympathetically.

"Poor, Fulton. I hope he's alright. C'mon, Dwayne. Let's go see if he's alright. You should go see the nurse, Dean." Nia said, grabbing Dwayne's hand and pulling him with her.

_...I try to sleep, but the clock is stuck on thoughts of you and me. A thousand more regrets unraveling. If you were here right now I swear I'd tell you this..._

When they were far enough away from the rink, Nia pulled Dwayne behind a tree and peeked around the side. She turned back to Dwayne when she was sure that Dean wasn't following them.

"I'm not buying that story, Dwayne. There was something not right about that story. Was there something else that was going on, besides what Dean said?" Nia asked searching Dwayne's eyes.

"I'm not sure, Nia. Portman has always had a way of getting under Fulton's skin. But you won't find him today. It's Sunday, he always goes to visit Smash on Sundays. He won't be back until dark." Dwayne said as him and Nia started walking around the campus.

"Who's Smash?" Nia was curious about this new person.

"She's his best friend. I'm not the one to ask about this though." Dwayne was uncomfortable with this subject, Nia could tell. "Fulton will tell you, if you ask."

Nia let the subject drop, but resolved to ask Fulton about it when he got home. And ask she did.

_...Baby I don't wanna waste another day keeping it inside is killing me 'cuz all I ever wanted comes right down to you, to you. I wish that I could find the words to say, 'cuz baby I will tell you every time you leave, I'm inconsolable..._

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Mighty Ducks (Disney does!!) nor do I own "Inconsolable" (Backstreet Boys do!!) but I DO own Nia and any other original characters!! Don't sue me!!_


	8. Jumper

8. Jumper

_I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend, you could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in, and if you do not want to see me again, I would understand..._

Fulton saw Nia waiting for him in the courtyard and felt a little better about the day that had unfolded. His trip was unproductive, but then every trip was. Fulton refused to give up on Smash, but he tried to push past the feelings in his gut as he sat on the bench next to Nia.

"Did you have a nice trip visiting your friend?" Nia asked cheerfully, cutting to the chase. Fulton looked as uncomfortable as Dwayne did.

"So, someone told you about Smash. What'd they say?" Fulton asked scratching his head.

"Just that she's your best friend and that you visit her on Sundays." Fulton nodded and took a deep breath.

"Well, since you wanna know, here goes. She played hockey with us, in peewee and when we went to the Olympics. We used to be really close, in fact, we dated for a while. Just before we went to the olympics, she became really distant. I think that was when she went on the anti-depressants, but I'm not sure. She was hooked on them, though. She broke up with me and started dating someone else, who was also a friend.

I was okay with that, at first. He seemed alright, at first. After the olympics, he showed his true colors though. He started picking her apart, bit by bit. And instead of helping her, I just stood by and let it happen.

It started with her weight. She was an athletic girl, beautiful and muscle-toned. Not an ounce of fat on her, but he said that she was fat and she believed him. She rarely ate, and when she did, she threw up. She exorcised like crazy, and freaked out if she gained weight from muscle gain. She turned into a toothpick. I hate to say it, but she lost all beauty when she reached the size that he wanted her. She had to quit hockey, because she couldn't play, she had no energy.

He said that her clothes weren't sexy enough. I remember thinking to myself that the only reason she didn't fill out her clothes was because she was too skinny for her own good. She was not the kind of girl to wear skirts, but he made her wear those short, sad excuses for a skirt. She wore shirts that revealed way too much skin on top and bottom. She might as well have paraded around in her underwear instead of what he dressed her in. I just watched this painful transition, but things only got worse.

That was when he started hitting her. It started out with ass-slapping, then got progressively worse. The bruises that he left all over her, but no one did anything. She was my friend and I just let her fall victim to this action.

When he started cheating on her, she started reaching out to me for help. She would come to me in the middle of the night, through my window like she used to, and look at me with pleading eyes as she curled up next to me on my bed. She wanted some scrap of affection, and I refused her. I didn't want to betray the guy, because he was my friend, too. I just abandoned her, when she needed me most.

When no one would help her, she turned to the only thing she had. A razorblade romance." Fulton took a break to put his face in his hands. Nia stared, mouth agape.

"She slit her wrists to end her suffering. She couldn't eat, she couldn't play hockey, she couldn't wear the clothes she wanted, and I wouldn't even hold her. The damage was done, he had her so far under his thumb, that she saw this as her only way out.

She called me, right before she did it. She called to say that she was sorry. I climbed through her window to find her lying in a pool of her blood. They got her to the hospital barely in time. Her mom put a restraining order on the guy, when I told her what had been happening.

Smash is in an asylum, now. She doesn't speak. Not to me, and not to her friends Puck and Blade, either. When I visit her, she just stares at me with tears in her eyes. I talk to her, hoping that she'll respond, but she doesn't. I wouldn't talk to me either, if I was her."

_...the angry boy a bit too insane. I sing over the secret pain, you know you don't belong. You're the first to fight, you're way too loud, you're the person laid on the burial shroud. I know something's wrong..._

"Fulton, it's not your fault." Nia said as she put an arm around his shoulders. "What's done is done, sadly. That's no reason to beat yourself up. I'm sure she doesn't hate you."

Nia just watched as Fulton walked away to go to bed, she thought it wasn't a bad idea. She went to her dorm quietly and slipped into a sleep, unknowing the pain that Fulton felt as he walked into his dorm room.

Dean was lying on his bed, flipping through a sports magazine when Fulton came into the room. Fulton was feeling down, like he did every Sunday night. Dean was going to torment him tonight, for punching him earlier.

"So, how's Smash doing this week? Still crazy?" Dean asked as Fulton sat down. Fulton shot Dean a dirty look.

"You have a lot of nerve to even ask how she's doing. It's not like you ever cared about her." Fulton said lying down and staring at the ceiling.

"Well, I'd go and ask her myself, but she's still got that restraining order on me. I never forced her to do anything that she didn't want to do. I just told her what I thought about her. I didn't commit a crime."

"Tearing a person down from the inside out is a crime. You drove her to suicide. She wasn't fat, she was fit. She was beautiful and had a grace about her, before you got to her. Then she just became what you wanted her to be, because she thought that it was what she was supposed to do. You ruined her, Portman. You ruin everyone that just wants to be with you."

"Fulton, you're just mad that every girl that you want sees me as a better option. You had Puck, so I had Smash."

"I left Puck because I couldn't be with her and keep thinking about Smash. I loved her, and you only pretended that you did. There is no reason to do what you do to the girls that you date."

Fulton's train of thought, was cut off by a knock at the door. Fulton was caught off guard by Dwayne standing in the doorway when the door was opened.

"What's up, Cowboy?" Fulton asked, calming down at the sight of his teammate.

"Actually, I want a word with Portman." Dwayne said scratching his head. Fulton shrugged and sat down on his bed as Dean lead Dwayne out of the room.

Dean took Dwayne up onto the roof for maximum privacy. This was a place that Dean liked to come to when he was looking to be completely alone with a girl.

"What's up, Cowboy?" Dean asked sitting close to the edge of the roof.

"I wanna talk to you about Nia." Dwayne said, remained standing.

"What about her, Cowboy?" Dean asked looking up at Dwayne.

"I think that you should change your mind about going after Nia the way that you do. I mean, she's had it a lot rougher than any of us know. I just think that she deserves to be treated better than you treated Smash." Dwayne said watching Dean carefully.

These words didn't take long to have a negative effect on Dean. He stood up and rounded on Dwayne.

"Dude, why don't you just back off?! What do you even know about it, Cowboy?!" Dean was pushing Dwayne. The two boys were getting closer to the edge of the roof. "I don't gotta listen to a Brokeback Mountain heehaw like you?!"

Dean gave Dwayne one last shove. The scene unfolded in slow motion before Dean's eyes. Dwayne's eyes grew as the realization of what was happening came to his attention. Within seconds, he had disappeared over the ledge. There was a sickening thud followed by ear-splitting screams.

Dean didn't even look over the side, he just turned around and ran back down to his dorm. Slowing only when he reached his floor. The news of Dwayne had spread to the entire school overnight.

_...But everyone I know has got a reason to say, you could put the past away, I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend. You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in, and if you do not want to see me again, I would understand..."_

Nia met Connie and Julie outside their dorm room, both crying and holding onto Guy and Luis who also had tears in their eyes. Nia stiffened at once. She hated to stand outside scenes like this, helpless and awkward.

"What happened, guys?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to intrude in case Smash had...

"Dwayne. He-he jumped..." Connie started, making Nia's stomach churn.

"Off the roof." Guy finished for Connie.

Nia felt like throwing up. Her body started shaking as she leaned against the wall. Not her only friend. Not now.

The Dean of Students held an assembly to tell the students publicly and to announce when the funeral would be. There was also an offer for counseling to anyone who felt they might need it. No one but the team really seamed to care, except Nia. The funeral would be held the following week, and the memorial service would be on Friday. This was going to be a long week.

_"...Well he's on the table and he's gone to code and I do not think that anyone knows what the Hell we're doing here. And your friends are out and you've been dismissed I never thought it would come to this and I, I want you to know..._

By Wednesday, Nia had all but shut down completely. Nothing fulfilled her emptiness. Not skating, not horse-back riding, nothing. She was sitting in her Advanced Math class staring at her textbook, ignoring her teacher completely. Nothing mattered now that she had no one to turn to. A random piece of folded paper had appeared on her desk, she looked at it for a second then picked it up. As she unfolded it, she looked at the unfamiliar handwriting.

"Nia, meet me in the courtyard after class. Fulton"

This was an interesting turn of events. Nia just tucked the paper away and withdrew back into her head to get through the rest of the class.

When Nia got to the courtyard, Fulton was sitting on the bench waiting for her. She sat down next to him and looked at him with a slightly vacant expression.

"What's up, Fulton?" Nia asked looking into Fulton's eyes.

"How're you holding up, Nia?" Fulton asked searching her eyes. Nia sighed.

"How do you think I'm doing, Fulton?" Nia said slowly, looking away from him. "I knew him for a short time, but he understood me, Fulton. And now he's gone."

"Okay, that was a dumb question." Fulton said rubbing his arm. His throat was extremely dry. He gave a quick glance at her sitting next to him. His heart ached for her. She sat there staring at the ground, hands clenched tightly together. He knew he had to make his move now or Portman would surely beat him to the punch now...and he knew he couldn't let that happen. He took a deep breath and scooted a little closer to her. He reached for her hands, shaking slightly.

"Nia, I-" but he stopped when their hands made contact. Nia had jumped at his touch and was now giving him a very confusing look."-I just want you to be okay. " Nia turned quickly away and Fulton's heart sank. He had crossed the line. She didn't want what he was trying to achieve between them.

"Smooth move." he kicked himself and leaned back on the bench, exasperated. As he closed his eyes, though, he felt her head fall lightly upon his shoulder. He looked to see Nia nestled against him, her body shuddering with every silent sob.

"Oh, Nia." Fulton turned to her and brought her into an embrace that he wished would last an eternity. As her sobs slowly lessened, Fulton began to become more confidant. He inhaled the scent of her hair and smiled at the similarities between it and, strangely, the scent of honeysuckles. If there was a better time, he couldn't think of it.

"Fulton, I-" Nia had lifted her head and was now peering at him through bleary eyes. Fulton stared at her lips- parted and inviting. To his surprise, she moved in closer. So close he could breathe her in. He closed his eyes, his heart fluttering...

The sudden blast of Atreyu's "Right Side of the Bed" caused both of them to jump. Fulton looked apologetically at Nia as he got his phone out of his pocket.

"Yeah, Puck?" He asked answering the phone. Nia knew that it had been Fulton who had told them about Dwayne. "Oh, she is? Here? Really? Alright. Bye." Fulton hung the phone up and just kind of chuckled ironically.

"What's up?" Nia asked quietly.

"Smash is coming." he said not looking at Nia.

_"...everyone's got to face down the demons, maybe today, you could put the past away. I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend. You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in, and if you do not want to see me again, I would understand..."_

_I DO NOT OWN Mighty Ducks or "Jumper". Disney would own the Ducks, and Third Eye Blind would own "Jumper". I only own the characters that were not in the movie! DON'T SUE!_


	9. The Funeral Song

9. The Funeral Song

_"I dumped you again. Don't understand. It's happened before. Can't take it no more! These foolish games, always a loving confusion. I'll take you back, just to leave you once again..."_

"What?" Nia asked. Surely the stress of the week had made her hear him wrong.

"Puck says that Smash was checked out of the asylum and she'll come for the memorial service and the funeral. Then she'll be here to stay." Fulton said, a mixture of feelings flooding his veins.

"At Eden Hall?" Nia didn't know what to make of this new development.

"Yeah. Here. Look, I'll see you later alright." Fulton said getting up and walking away, leaving a very confused Nia sitting on the bench.

On Friday, Nia got to meet this Smash that Fulton was willing to bend himself backwards for.

The arrangements for Dwayne's memorial service were amazing. His parents did a good job picking everything out, all things considered.

Nia was milling around, gazing at all the pictures of Dwayne growing up. She stopped by his parents and told them how he was the best friend she had had in a while and that she was tremendously sorry for their loss. The soft murmur of the small group of students and parents died out when three girls entered the room.

The girl on the left had long dark hair, and tears streaming down her face. The girl on the right had short pink hair and was fighting against her tears. The girl in the center, had shoulder-length brown hair in low pigtails, and not a sign of tears in her eyes. Nia knew that she was Smash by the way she carried herself, avoiding the people. They led the long haired girl to Dwayne's parents, where she fell into their embrace.

Fulton appeared out of nowhere and led Nia over to these girls. Nia was quite interested in meeting them. He hugged each of them in turn.

"Guys, this is our friend, Nia. Nia this is Blade, she was Dwayne's girlfriend." Fulton indicated the long haired girl. "Puck." The pink haired girl. "And this is Smash." Nia was right about who she was.

"I'm very sorry about your friend. You all knew him better than I did, but he helped me when I had no one else to go to." Nia said, quietly.

"At least he made a good mark on the world." Puck said as Blade was overcome with more sobs.

Feeling uncomfortable, Nia needed to get away. She was surprised when Fulton didn't come with her. He took Smash over to a corner and was deep in a one-sided conversation with her for most of the afternoon. Nia felt put-off as Fulton was ignoring her, but was surprised when Dean came up to her.

"Nice arrangements, huh?" Dean asked conversationally, trying to keep the subject off the matter at hand. Nia nodded. "I see that you met the three musketeers." There was a sour note in Dean's voice that Nia couldn't place.

"Yeah." Nia said thoughtfully. Smash did look good for a girl who had suffered from anorexia. Maybe not as toned as she once had been, but she looked to be a healthy weight. For some reason, that thought mixed with the fact that Fulton wouldn't leave her side made a tight feeling in Nia's chest.

"I'm ready to get out of here. You wanna join me?" Dean asked casually. Nia gave another look at Fulton, who hadn't even looked at her since Smash got there.

"Yeah. I'm not feeling this anymore." Nia said quietly, following Dean out of the funeral home.

Fulton noticed Nia walking out with Dean, and had to remember that Smash was going to need him now. He felt bad as he turned away from the scene. Smash had noticed Nia leaving with Dean as well.

"He's bad news." she muttered quietly to Fulton.

Fulton was caught completely off guard by the sound of Smash's voice. It had been too long since the last time that he had heard it. But, try as he might, it appeared that she had said all she was going to say.

_"...I died in my dreams, what's that supposed to mean? Got lost in the fire. I died in my dreams, reaching out for your hand. My fatal desire..."_

"Are you hungry?" Dean asked as him and Nia were driving around in his black Mustang.

"Not really." Nia said, not remembering the last time that she ate anything at all. "But if you're hungry then I guess I could stand to eat something small."

The two of them were sitting in Dean's car, parked in a field somewhere, eating their food. Nia was playing with her French fries more than she was eating them.

"I know that you and Dwayne were kinda close." Dean said, making Nia put her fries down. She couldn't eat now that he was going to bring up Dwayne. "I just want you to know that I'll be here to listen if you need to talk."

The tears that Nia had been holding back all day were threatening to fall, as she looked down. As her body started to shake, Dean pulled her close to him, letting her cry on his shoulder. Dean held her, rubbing her back and whispering that everything would be alright, until she finally stopped crying.

"Dean, I-" Nia stopped as she looked up at him. He stroked her cheek with his hand. She smiled slightly at his touch. She leaned closer to him as he leaned towards her. Nia closed her eyes as Dean's lips found hers.

When the two of them got back to Eden Hall, hand in hand, Fulton was sitting on the bench in the courtyard. Smash had gone back home to pack for the move to Eden Hall. He couldn't even stand to look at the pair of them as they walked by. He knew that he had lost his chance with Nia now that Smash was back, but he couldn't help but feel guilty about not doing more to prevent this.

For the team, Monday came all too soon. The team knew that they never fully appreciated Dwayne, and now that he was gone, they felt horrible about it. They had draped his jersey over his coffin.

Nia stood with Dean as the preacher said his words, her black dress flowing in the breeze. His hand resting on the small of her back gave her some comfort as the preacher finished and a man, Coach Bombay, came forward to say a few words.

"Now, I know that you lost a friend, but you need to remember him every time you touch the ice. He had a good heart, and was never anything but polite. Dwayne was the kind of person that people only ever hope to be. He'll be watching over you when you take to the ice. I know that we'll all miss him." Bombay said removing the jersey from the coffin and handing it to Dwayne's parents.

Nia looked across the way at Fulton, who was holding Smash on one side and Puck on the other, and felt that tight feeling in her chest again. Nia ignored it as she turned away, unable to watch the lowering casket.

Fulton watched Nia walk away, followed closely by Dean. He shook his head as he thought about how close he had come to beating Dean out. He couldn't think these thoughts now, though. He had Smash to think about. Puck pulled away from him and he looked at her.

"Blade and I have got to be going." she said quietly, wiping her tears away. "I'll stay in touch. Keep an eye on each other." Puck hugged Fulton first, letting him kiss her forehead like he used to. Then she hugged Smash. "If you ever need me, I'm only a phone call away." She then walked to Blade and escorted her away from the cemetery.

Fulton took Smash by the hand and led her to his car. It was time to go back to school, even though they had the rest of the day off. He was always afraid that Smash might have been the one that he got a call about in the middle of the night, not Dwayne. Dwayne wasn't the kind of person that would think about suicide, let alone do it. Something didn't quite fit, but Fulton couldn't figure out what.

_"...I failed you again, 'cuz I let you stay. I used to pretend that I felt okay. Just one big lie, such a perfect illusion. I made you mine, just to hurt you once again..."_

The week turned out to be far from short. Nia learned that Smash was in her Advanced Math class. That was the class that she shared with Fulton. Ever since Smash had arrived, it was like Fulton had no time for anything else. He had even been skipping hockey practice. Nia knew that Smash was unstable, but that was no reason to hover around her like a cat to her kittens.

When Nia would sit with the team during meals, she felt comfortable until Fulton and Smash would show up. Smash would stare at Dean and her, with a slightly amused look in her eyes. Dean always ignored this, but Nia couldn't. One morning, Smash would do something that would surprise them all.

Nia and Dean were leaving the table to have some time alone before they had to go to class. They passed Fulton and Smash, who were entering the cafeteria.

"Hi, Fulton. Smash." Nia said politely, receiving a nod from both.

"Hey, Fulton. Psycho." Dean muttered. Nia gave him a sharp look.

Smash looked at Dean for a second, then started beating on his chest with her fists. She wasn't strong enough to inflict any damage, so Dean just looked at her like she was, well, crazy. Fulton, looking alarmed, pulled Smash off of Dean and pulled her over to the table.

"Dean, you shouldn't provoke her like that." Nia said when they sat down in the courtyard. Dean gave her a hard look.

"It's not my fault she's crazy. She shouldn't be here. She should be back in the nut-house where she belongs." Dean said with an attitude emerging slightly.

"I didn't say that it was your fault. But you shouldn't provoke her. Let her heal in peace." Nia said quietly, wondering what this side of Dean was. "I wish Dwanye was here. He'd be able to help her out, like he helped me." Dean stiffened with jealousy.

"She's beyond help. Dwayne isn't gonna come back, no matter how much you want him to. You just have to move on. I'm going to class." Dean said quickly. He kissed Nia roughly and left her sitting there, waiting for the bell to ring. Nia felt put-off.

_"...I died in my dreams, what's that supposed to mean? Got lost in the fire. I died in my dreams, reaching out for your hand. My fatal desire..."_

_I DO NOT own Mighty Ducks (we all know that Disney does) and I don't own "The Funeral Song" The Rasmus does. DONT SUE!_


	10. Bottom of the Bottle

10. Bottom of the Bottle

_"Been scared and lonely. I've asked myself is something wrong with you? My girlfriend told me, I need some time alone to deal with issues..."_

Dean surprised Nia by taking her out that night. He didn't tell her that he was taking her out to a club, but her blue tube-top and black leather pants were appropriate enough.

Once inside the club, the loud music and crowd of people were the kind of distraction from life that Nia needed. Dean led Nia to the dance floor, and danced to a few songs, before leading her over to a corner.

"Hey, guys." Dean said to the two couples that were huddled in the corner. "This is Nia. Nia, this is Steve, Mary, Kathy, and Ed. I hang out here with them a few nights a week."

"Hi." Nia said. The others nodded at her. They were smoking something that didn't look like cigarettes.

"Lemme hit that." Dean said taking the joint. After taking a few hits off it, he passed it to Nia who looked at it for a second. "Aren't you gonna take a hit?" The group just looked at Nia expectantly.

Nia, never being one to stand up well to peer pressure, took a few hits off the joint and passed it to Steve. She was feeling a little lightheaded. After passing it around a few times, Nia was incapacitated and laughing hysterically.

"I'm gonna get us some drinks." Dean said to Nia. She laughed and nodded to him.

While Dean was gone, the group started passing around some cocaine. It didn't take much coaxing to get Nia to try it. By the time Dean got back, Nia was higher than a kite, so Dean decided to take her back to the school. He had a better idea for them anyway, since he wasn't that stoned and she had had more than enough.

Dean helped Nia get up to her dorm room, and found a note stating that her room mate wouldn't be returning for the night. He smirked as he shut the door. He laid her down on the bed and laid down next to her. He started kissing her, and didn't take long to progress to something farther.

"Dean, I haven't done this before." Nia said pushing Dean back a little.

"It's okay, Nia. I'll be gentle with you. I love you." Dean said, before starting again. Nia's heart fluttered at those words, and she didn't object anymore. At some point, she passed out.

Nia woke in the morning, with no memory of the night before. Just as she was starting to wonder why she was naked, she noticed a body next to her. She looked to see Dean asleep next to her. Realization dawned on her and she got up and pulled clothes on. She needed a shower.

Nia bumped into Fulton in the hallway.

"Nia! Dean didn't come back last night and I thought that something might have happened to you." Fulton said quickly.

"We're fine. He's asleep in my bed. We kinda did it last night." Nia blushed and looked down as she said this.

"What do you mean?" Fulton asked hoping that she didn't really mean it.

"I passed out after a while, but we had sex last night. He told me that he loves me. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah. Sure." Fulton said crestfallen. "Well, I guess I'll catch up with you later."

"…_But something makes me carry on. It's difficult to understand why I always wanna fall…"_

Later that morning, after Dean had woken up and showered up, he decided that he wanted to take Nia ice skating. As they made their way to the rink, Nia was starting to feel the high from the night before wear thin.

Coach O' Ryan was at the rink, with Smash. She was doing drills. Dean had a look that could kill. He let Nia sit in a seat as he went to find out what was going on. The conversation took place out of Nia's earshot.

"I'm holding a try-out, Portman." O' Ryan said, writing something on a clip board. Smash was skating suicides to test her endurance.

"She hasn't played in 3 years, Coach. We don't take walk-ons." Dean said as Smash skated by close to him.

"You aren't the captain. Conway said that it was fine with him if she rejoined the team. We need someone to take Robertson's place. Can't play at all if we don't have a full roster." O' Ryan said as Smash joined them.

"How'd I do, Coach?" Smash asked, ignoring Dean's presence.

"Welcome back to the team, Smash. Glad to have you back." O' Ryan said receiving a nod from Smash, as well as a smile.

When O' Ryan had left, Dean turned to Smash and gave her an evil look.

"Just because Coach and everyone else has accepted you back with open arms, doesn't change the fact that you're still crazy." Dean said. Smash smirked and raised her eyebrows.

"Am I?" Smash asked tauntingly, skating away.

"Smash!" Fulton yelled running into the rink. He ran passed Nia and out onto the ice where Smash had stopped skating upon hearing her name. "Smash, Puck just called me. It's Blade. She-she-" Fulton said, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"How'd she do it?" Smash asked with a look of stone on her face.

"Pills."

Smash nodded as she skated to the edge and hopped over to take her skates off. Nia stared in wonder. First Dwayne jumped off the dorm building, and then his girlfriend overdoses on pills. This team had rotten luck keeping friends.

Over the next few days, Nia and Dean had been going to the club regularly. Nia couldn't stand to be around the rest of the team. They were one big ball of depression, and frankly, it was suffocating.

The more drugs that Nia tried, the less pain she felt about Dwayne's death. She liked the lack of feeling she felt when she was high, and she decided to invest some money into this good feeling.

Everyone from the team was going to Blade's funeral, except Dean. The day the team left, Nia was lying under a tree in the courtyard, laughing hysterically at the leaves. The team gave her dirty looks as they went by, save for the looks of pity received from Fulton and Smash. Nia didn't care, she felt good. That was all that mattered to her now.

"…_I do it for the drugs. I do it just to feel high. I do it for the love, that I get from the bottom of the bottle…"_

Puck invited Fulton and Smash, her two closest friends now, to stay at her house for the few days that they'd be there.

"I've decided that I'm going to come to Eden Hall." Puck told Fulton when they were alone.

"Really?" he asked. He had a lot to deal with.

"Yeah. I was only staying here for Blade's sake. Not that I did any good. I'm going to come and keep an eye on Smash. Make sure that she's doing alright. Give you time to yourself. Maybe it's not too late for you to keep Nia away from Portman before he destroys her." Puck said rocking back and forth in her recliner.

"They're already having sex. And it seems like she's never really in her head anymore." Fulton said thoughtfully.

"She's on drugs." Smash said entering the room. She had been listening to their conversation. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm fine. My doctors just won't listen to me."

"You're awfully talkative. Did you take your meds?" Fulton asked surprised by Smash's new revelation.

"No. I don't plan on taking them anymore. Don't look at me like that. They had me on 5 pills twice a day, plus one at night. I was taking one pill of every color of the rainbow. The red one was an anti-depressant; the orange one was an anti-anxiety; the yellow was a mood enhancer; the green was a mild sedative; the blue was an anti-psychotic; and the purple beauty was my valium. The combination of all of those pills was what made me not want to talk. They're what made me unable to concentrate at school. My mom said that if I fail then I'm going back to the asylum. I don't want to go back there. The doctors won't listen to me when I say that I'm fine. They just want to make money off of me. I'm tired of being someone's rug. Whether it's Dean's or the psychiatrists', I won't do it anymore. I'm finally going to do what I want." Smash said leaving Fulton and Puck speechless.

"You tried to kill yourself." Puck said quietly.

"I've gotten better. The pills only make me feel worse." Smash said staring at her two friends. "I was on some of the pills while I was dating Dean. They have a negative effect on teenagers, but the psychiatrists don't care about anyone or anything but money. My mom pays out the ass for me to go to counseling and for my medication. I didn't take my pills the morning that I tried out for the team. That was the best that I had felt in a long time. Trust me, you guys. You're my only hope of making it through this."

There was a stunned silence as Smash's words were absorbed.

"This is gonna throw Nia for a loop." Fulton mused aloud.

"…_You always call me, and ask me how I make it through the day. I'm always fallin'. I guess it's just God's way of makin' me pay…"_

Nia was sitting in the tree in the courtyard when the team returned from Blade's funeral. Curiously, Puck was with them. Nia watched as Dean came out to look for her and was greeted with angry words by Puck. Nia couldn't quite make out the conversation, but was uninterested. Her attention was caught by Fulton and Smash looking up from under the tree. She leaned over to greet them, but waved at the same time and fell out of the tree. Luckily for her, hockey had instilled quick reflexes in Smash and Fulton. A major crisis was averted as the two of them managed to catch a dazed Nia.

"What just happened?" Nia asked. "Hi Fulton!"

"You just fell out of a tree, Nia." Fulton said as they sat Nia on the ground. Nia looked at Fulton, confused.

"Really?" Nia's eyes were glazed over and not as focused as they should be. "Kinda felt like I was flying. I betcha if I jumped off the dorm that I could fly. I already feel like I'm floating."

Nia stood up to run off, but swayed and fell into Fulton's arms.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Puck asked Dean as Nia sat back on the ground.

"I don't know. Who says that there is something wrong with her?" Dean challenged.

"She's obviously high, Portman. She thinks that she can fly. What did she take? What is she on?" Fulton demanded.

"I don't know. Whatever she bought. I don't care." Dean said walking away, leaving Nia in the care of the three friends.

"We need to sober her up." Smash said as they helped Nia to her feet.

"…_But something makes me carry on. It's difficult to understand why I always wanna fall. I do it for the drugs. I do it just to feel high. I do it for the love, that I get from the bottom of the bottle…"_

_DISCLAIMER: Disney owns Mighty Ducks!! Smile Empty Soul owns "Bottom of the Bottle"! I only own the characters Nia, Smash, Puck, & Blade, as well as any other characters that were not in the movies. Don't sue!!_


	11. Author's Note

What Can You Do?! Author's Note

First and foremost, I would like to thank my wonderful fans who bare with me through thick and thin and long periods of time between posts. You guys are the reason I'm still writing. You ALL rock my socks!

And now I shall answer some questions that might be lingering.

1. Yes, Dwayne is dead. Yes, it is horribly sad. Yes, it was extremely difficult to kill him off. Yes, it did take some careful thought and consideration to kill him off. I personally like Dwayne a lot. He was crucial to the story, since he was Nia's only close friend, but that's why he had to die.

2. Yes, Portman killed Dwayne. Yes, it was on purpose. No, he doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Yes, Fulton & Smash & even Puck know just how Portman really is. They can't expose him for what he is because they haven't put the pieces together yet. When they know the truth, you'll find out. Smash can't really go around telling how Portman is, she tried to kill herself for seemingly no reason as far as the team is concerned. Plus, she was in an insane asylum for two & a half years, would you really believe someone spouting something that seems unbelievable if they had spent any time in an asylum?

3. Nia is not only oblivious to the fact that Dwayne wouldn't have killed himself, she is in love with Portman and wouldn't hear a bad word about him. Now she's addicted to drugs along with everything else. She's not in the position to be listening to anything but the truth.

As to the mystery of what will happen when the team finds out about Portman killing Dwayne…I'm afraid that I cannot reveal that information. I absolutely HATE spoilers, so you will all just have to wait and read for yourselves.

Thank you all again.

cloakedauthor21


	12. False Pretense

11. False Pretense

"_The world's got a funny way of turning out on you, when a friend tries to stab you right in the face. Losing faith in everything I thought, I hoped, I knew. Don't sweat it. Set on false pretense…"_

Nia passed out as Fulton, Smash, and Puck were carrying her to her room. Luckily her room mate wasn't there.

"Man, this is one hell of a situation that I got landed in." Puck said as they sat around Nia to make sure that she was alright.

"This is a bad situation for everyone, Puck." Fulton said. "I never thought that Dwayne would kill himself, and then Blade. Now Nia's got an addiction. Damn."

"I don't think that Dwayne killed himself." Smash said quietly. Her two friends looked at her curiously. "I really don't. Dwayne wasn't depressed. He came to visit me once. I couldn't form words to even try to explain to him what was going through my mind when I slit my wrists. He wouldn't have jumped off the dorm building anyhow. He was afraid of heights."

Fulton and Puck just exchanged glances as Smash stared at them expectantly. They didn't want to believe that Dwayne would kill himself but they were afraid that Smash might not be as well as she said that she was.

"What're you saying, Smash? That someone murdered Dwayne?" Puck asked her best friend.

"Crazier things have happened. I'm just saying that I know that Dwayne wouldn't have jumped off the roof. Maybe someone pushed him. I don't know." Smash was exhausted of everyone thinking that she was just a nut job. Her friends weren't believing what she was saying, so she just let the subject rest. She had to find out what had happened.

Puck was going through Nia's things during her shift of watching Nia. She found a bag of pot and smaller bad of cocaine.

She shook Fulton awake.

"What, Puck? It's not time to change shifts yet." Fulton said sleepily.

"I found her drugs, Fulton." Puck said, her pink hair in her face. "Pot and cocaine. Most likely used together. She needs to be put into rehab, Fulton. There's nothing that we're going to be able to do for her."

"What do you mean?" Fulton asked taking the bags from Puck.

"She means that the withdrawal caused by quitting cold turkey from those drugs will be horrible for her. Almost unbearable. She needs professional help."

"Ooh! Look! Her wallet. That's not a bad picture. Whoa. I didn't know that that was her last name." Puck said showing the other two the id.

"Wow. She never told anyone what her last name is." Fulton said awestruck.

"Damn, her family must be loaded." Smash said handing the id back.

"Please, don't tell anyone what my last name is." Nia said quietly. She was sitting up on the edge of her bed. "My step-dad adopted me and I got stuck with his horrible last name. I hate it, and him. My head is killing me. Why are you all in here anyway?"

"We were concerned about your safety. Portman left you in our care." Fulton said.

"Somehow I don't believe that." Nia said quietly. Smash's face hardened. "I'm gonna go find him.

"I don't think that you should." Puck said, touching Nia's arm. Smash got up and left the room, she was hoping that they would hold Nia there long enough for her to find Dean.

"…_Betrayed but not gonna be willing to change. And it doesn't seem likely to fade. Betrayed but not gonna be willing to change, cu-cu-cu-cuz you know…"_

"You're too much like a cat. And too predictable, Dean." Smash said standing on the roof of the dorm. Dean was leaning on the edge, looking over on the spot that Dwayne landed.

"So the crazy girl speaks. I'll be damned." Dean said, not turning to face her. There was a twisted, satisfied look on his face. He truly had no remorse for what had happened.

"You will be damned, Dean. If you continue doing what you're doing to Nia." Smash said, keeping her distance. She wasn't stupid enough to get any closer. She knew what he was capable of.

"Who made you such an authority on me?" Dean turned to face Smash. His face was unreadable.

"I know what you do to people who want to be close to you. You lie and tear them down. It's enough to drive someone crazy. Leave her alone, Dean."

"I supposed you'd know all about being crazy, Smash. If I were you, I'd stay out of other people's business." There was a warning tone in his voice, but Smash wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"I'm afraid I can't stay out of it, Dean. I won't stand by and watch you do this to someone else. Just because she doesn't know how you are yet doesn't mean that I won't tell her." Smash said defiantly.

"…_It's sacrifice. False pretense you'll hurt again. Stop pretending to deny false pretense you'll hurt again…"_

Dean crossed the rooftop in three strides. Smash had forgotten how fast he was. He pressed her against the door to stairs. He was holding her arms to her side with a grip like a vice.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'll kill you. I'll do it in a way that everyone thinks that you did it yourself. No one would doubt that you did it." There was an evil flare in his eyes. Smash held her ground.

"You don't scare me anymore. And you can't control me, Dean." Smash said challenging Dean. A grin came over his face that unsettled Smash's stomach.

"So, you didn't really loose your fire. That's hot." Dean kissed Smash, who tried to get out of his grip. "Just like old times."

"Yeah. You're still just a selfish jerk."

Dean's hand moved to her throat. He squeezed slightly.

"Say one more thing like that, and I'll throw you off the top of this building the way that I threw Dwayne off of it." Dean's voice was a whisper, but the effect was catastrophic. Smash's eyes widened at the realization of what he had just said.

As Dean left Smash on the roof, she realized why he told her that he had killed Dwayne. No one would believe her if she told them. Tears filled her eyes as she knew that she couldn't bring justice to her friend's killer.

"Oh, Dwayne." Smash whispered. "I'm sorry."

"…_All along you know you thought you got the best of me, But you were wrong and I'm laughing right in your face. I cannot believe you claimed you were my family. Don't sweat it - it's set on false pretense…"_

Smash couldn't sleep. She had tossed and turned over the new revelation in her mind. She knew that no one would listen to her, but she couldn't keep something like that to herself. She did the only thing that she could do.

Fulton was having a hard time sleeping, worrying over Nia. Smash seemed distant when he saw her before bed, and that unsettled him as well. Dean was asleep a few feet away, and Fulton knew he wouldn't wake up for anything. Fall Out Boy's "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" played on his phone and almost made him jump out of his skin. He grabbed his phone and answered Smash's call quietly.

"What's up, Smash?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Get dressed and meet me in the courtyard. Five minutes." Smash's voice whispered into the receiver. She hung up before Fulton could protest. He got dressed and snuck out of the room to meet her in the courtyard.

Smash was sitting on the bench waiting for Fulton. When he approached, she turned to face him. He could see that she was crying. When he sat down next to her, she pulled herself close the way that she used to.

"What's the matter, Smash?" Fulton asked looking down at her.

"He killed Dwayne, Fulton. He killed Dwayne." Smash sobbed onto his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Fulton asked holding her away so that he could look into her eyes.

"Dean. He killed Dwayne. Pushed him off the roof." Smash said with a pleading look in her eyes. "He told me. I knew that Dwayne couldn't have killed himself. Please believe me, Fulton. Dean killed him. He threatened to kill me. Dean killed Dwayne.

"…_It's funny to me how you turned into such a joke…"_

Disclaimer: The Mighty DucksÓ of Disney and "False Pretense"Ó by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I own nothing, except for the plot and the characters that had nothing to do with the original storyline. Thank you to all who read.


	13. Pain

_12. Pain_

"_Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…"_

"What do you mean, Smash?" Fulton asked. His question frustrated Smash.

"How clearer can I really be, Fulton? Dean pushed Dwayne off the roof. Everything that's happening now is all because he doesn't want Nia to know how he is. What do you want me to say, Fulton? He wants to do to Nia what he did to me, and he'll get rid of anyone in his way. You know how he is!" Smash practically yelled at him. He stood up and walked over to the tree. He steadied himself against the tree, not facing Smash.

Either she was lying, telling the truth, or she was a nutcase. He just couldn't believe that she would make up such a lie, not even about Dean Portman. He didn't want to believe that she had really lost her mind. She seemed put together now that she was off the drugs and with her friends. The alternative was the truth. Could Dean Portman really murder someone to get what he wanted? Fulton knew the answer to that question.

"Please believe that I'm telling the truth, Fulton." Smash's voice was small and pleading.

"I believe you, Smash." Fulton said, still not facing her. "I know how he is."

"…_You're sick of feeling numb. You're not the only one. I'll take you by the hand, and I'll show you a world that you can understand. This life is filled with hurt, when happiness doesn't work. Trust me and take my hand, when the lights go out you will understand…"_

"Say what?" Puck's voice said in the darkness of her door room. She sat down on her bed, her legs wouldn't hold her.

"I believe that Portman may have pushed Dwayne off the roof." Fulton's voice said from beside her on her bed. "Could we possibly turn on a light, Puck."

"Oh. Sorry." Puck switched on her desk lamp. She could see Fulton's strained features. It had been almost three years since she saw him look like this. Not since Smash got put into the asylum. "Isn't that a little extreme, even for Portman? Who told you this?"

"Puck, I've shared a room with him since freshman year. I saw what he did to Smash, from both sides. The night that Dwayne died, he came to the dorm to talk to Portman. We were fighting when Dwayne knocked on the door. He was already mad, whatever Dwayne said must have pushed him over the edge." Fulton took a deep breath and looked over at Puck. She was eyeing him strangely.

"Who told you this?" she repeated, not believing her ears.

"Portman might've mentioned it to Smash." Fulton said quietly.

Puck got up and reached for her cell phone.

"I should have known that she couldn't handle being here, with him. Not off her meds. I'm calling her mother." Puck started dialing, but Fulton took her phone away from her.

"Puck, I believe her. She's stable. Don't send her back to that awful place, Puck. She's your best friend. If not for that fact, then believe her because I do."

Puck stared at Fulton and shook her head.

"I have a hard time believing that she's better. She changed so suddenly, and it was under duress. I just can't bring myself to believe that what she says isn't because she's got a personal vendetta against Portman." Puck kept herself out of Fulton's reach as he tried to touch her arm. "Fulton, I don't think that she's well. I think that you're too attached to her to let her go, even though she needs to go."

"I think that you're wrong, Puck. But, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm sorry." Fulton said turning to leave. "She's your best friend, Puck. She'll always be there for you."

"…_Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all…"_

"I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend…" Smash was singing softly as she rocked back and forth with her knees pulled up to her chin. Fulton watched this sadly for a moment, before going and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Fulton. I'm guessing she didn't believe you. Can't say I blame her. No one is going to believe me."

"Don't say that, Smash." Fulton said sitting down next to her. "Someone has to have a clue about how he is."

"Dwayne did and look at what happened to him." Smash looked defeated as she looked at Fulton. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be alright, but he didn't know if he had the strength inside him to do it. "Puck told me why you broke up with her." Fulton looked at her.

"Huh?" he asked curiously. This was an extreme change in subject.

"Puck told me that you broke up with her because you still wanted me. I don't think that she was jealous, because she knew that I wanted Dean. But, I know that she really liked you, Fulton. Why did you hold onto me for so long?" Fulton was caught off guard by her question.

"I didn't want to believe that it was over. We knew each other so well. You've been my best friend for a long time. And then everything with Shaun happened, and the next thing that I knew you were coming home trashed and screening your calls. You changed so much after Shaun died, Smash. I didn't see it coming, and I thought that you'd come back if I waited long enough. Why did everything change when Shaun died?" Fulton asked studying the girl that he knew so much about.

"It's my fault that he's dead. I killed my twin brother." Smash said simply.

"No you didn't. He died in a car accident. His buddy was driving drunk, and it was just an accident." Fulton couldn't put two and two together.

"He called me to get Mom to pick him up from the party. He knew that his friends were too drunk to be driving. I got mad at him because we were making out when he called. I made him ride with his friend, and then they crashed and he died. The last thing I said to him was, 'If you throw up when you get home, make sure that you make it in the toilet. Because I'm not cleaning it up.' I didn't even say good-bye. Then my parents put me in group and the therapist put me on anti-depressants. They're why I stopped going out. I didn't want to do anything. Then I got involved in those mixer parties with the other kids from group. And I pushed you away because I was afraid that I'd lose you too, Fulton. If I had never pushed you away, then people wouldn't think I'm crazy. I wouldn't have tried to kill myself, because I never would have gotten with Dean. But, then we wouldn't know how he is to try and save Nia before she gets too involved. I've gone and ruined everything, Fulton. I don't even know what was going through my mind when I slit my wrists, but something inside told me to call you. I made a mess of everything."

Fulton wrapped his arms around the girl- the wilted and blackened rose that had once bloomed so brilliantly.

"Isn't this cozy." a voice said behind them. Fulton stood up and faced Dean as Smash turned around on the bench.

"What do you want, Portman?" Fulton asked with anger in his voice. The smirk on Dean's face was enough to make Smash sick.

"You should stay away from her, Fulton. But then, you never did know when to mind your own business. Smash doesn't belong to you anymore." Smash stood at these words.

"I don't belong to anyone, Dean. Least of all you." her words were harsh. Dean chuckled slightly.

"You never said that it was over. You just went crazy."

"I saw suicide as the only way of being free of your tyranny. By trying to kill myself I was saying that it was over. Get over yourself Dean. You're not that great anyway." Smash said causing Dean's face to darken.

He took the few steps to reach her and slapped her across the face. Fulton pushed him away as he was getting ready to hit her again.

"Leave her the hell alone, Portman." Fulton warned. "She's no longer under your control."

"We'll see about that." Dean muttered as he left the Fulton and Smash staring after him.

"…_Anger and agony are better than misery. Trust me I've got a plan, when the lights go off you will understand. Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all. Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all…"_

Nia was on her way to her dorm room after a tough day, and looking for a pick-me-up. As she opened her door, she saw that Smash was sitting at her desk going through her pills. Nia was stunned into silence as Smash looked up at her holding a pill up.

"Lower tabs. Nice choice." Smash threw the pill over her shoulder and picked up another one. "Oxycontin, I remember these gems." She threw that one too, and picked up another. "Ooh, my favorite-"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nia said, finally breaking free of her shock. "Are you here to steal my drugs?" Smash dropped the pill she had in her hand and gave Nia a hard look.

"I've been there and done that. I'm off meds. I wanted to talk to you, Nia. I need your help. Dwayne didn't kill himself, he was murdered. I know who murdered him, I just have to get the confession on tape. I'm going to use this tape recorder (she pulled a tape recorder out of her pocket) but I want you to help me." Smash said calmly.

"Why do you want me to help?" Nia asked sitting on her bed. Smash sighed.

"Because I'm trying to help you. The person who killed Dwayne is the one who left this bruise on my cheek. He's the same one that abused me. And he'll do the same thing to you. Fulton didn't tell you who left these scars on my face, or made me leave these scars on myself." Smash pulled her sleeves up to show Nia where she had slit her wrists. "Dean killed Dwayne, Nia."

"No. You're crazy." Nia said getting up.

"Am I? Honestly Nia, you know that this isn't you. The drugs. The sex. It's not you. That's how he starts it. He did the same thing to me, Nia. Except that I was already on drugs."

"I don't believe you." Nia was headed for the door.

"You knew Dwayne. Do you honestly think that he would kill himself?" Smash's words made Nia hesitate for a moment before she left. "I guess I'm all on my own on this one." Smash said quietly to herself as she eyed the drugs one last time before getting up and leaving.

"…_I know (I know I know I know I know) that you're wounded. You know (you know you know you know you know) that I'm here to save you…"_

Smash knew that Fulton wasn't in the dorm room as she went to confront Dean one last time. She turned the tape recorder on as she knocked on the door. When Dean opened the door, she walked in before invited to.

"What's this about, Smash?" Dean asked as he sat back down on his bed.

"Leave Nia alone, Dean. I told her what you did to me. What you did to Dwayne." Smash started.

"Well, if the cowboy had minded his own business, then I might not have had to push him off the roof." Dean said with a dangerous tone in his voice.

"I can prove what you did, Dean. I'll make sure you pay for everything you did." Smash's voice dripped with venom.

Dean was up and had Smash pressed against the wall. His hand squeezing her throat.

"I told you I'd kill you if you kept talking like that. I'm going to enjoy this, Smash. What a waste of a perfectly good body." Dean said steadily squeezing harder.

Smash was trying to get his hand away from her throat. Her head was throbbing with lack of oxygen, and she could feel her body getting heavier. The door opening made Dean's grip slacken a little bit. He turned to see Nia staring at the scene before her. She ran from the room.

"Nia!" Dean called as he roughly threw Smash aside, not noticing the girl slamming her head into the corner of his desk.

Nia ran down the hallway looking for the only help she knew. She ran headlong into him.

"Nia what-" Fulton asked.

"Fulton, Dean!" Nia babbled as Dean came around the corner. Fulton pushed Nia behind him as he faced Dean.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else, Portman." Fulton said.

The two boys ran at each other and both made solid contact with their fists. The two of them were getting some good hits off. Dean managed to push Fulton off of him long enough to pull out a knife. Fulton knew the knife as the one that Smash used to slit her wrists. Dean came at Fulton with the knife.

"This ends here." Dean said as he tried to cut Fulton. The students were coming out to find out what was going on.

Fulton was too fast for him. Fulton managed to dodge away from the swipes of the blade. Fulton kicked the knife away from Dean and threw him on the floor. Fulton crouched down to pick up the knife as Dean slowly got up. Dean started coming at Fulton like he was going to tackle him, but Fulton turned around and Dean ran right into the blade Fulton was holding.

A look of pure shock on Dean's face, mixed with the gasps of the crowd, made Fulton drop the knife as if it had burned him. Dean dropped to his knees as blood started flying out of his mouth with every labored breath. As he fell face first onto the floor, he stopped breathing.

Puck came around the corner and pushed her way to the front to see what was going on. She looked from Fulton's shocked face to Dean's body on the floor. She did a quick sweep to see where Smash was.

"Fulton! Where's Smash?" she asked realizing that her best friend wasn't there. Fulton and Nia faced her before Nia gasped and started running, with the other two behind.

"She was in here. He was choking her." Nia said as they reached Fulton's dorm room.

Fulton opened the door and his eyes immediately traveled to the floor where Smash's body was lying in a pool of blood from the wound in her head.

"Smash!" Fulton yelled dropping to the floor next to her. He picked her up into his arms. "No, Smash." Fulton cried holding her body close to him.

"Oh, Smash." Puck said dropping onto Fulton's bed as the tears came.

Tears filled Nia's eyes as she realized that the girl wasn't crazy, but had spoken the truth about everything.

"What the hell?" Fulton asked as he pulled the tape recorder out of Smash's pocket. "What was this for?"

Nia gasped as she took it from Fulton and rewound it.

"She was going to tape his confession." Nia said to Puck's and Fulton's questioning looks. She pressed play.

"Well, if the cowboy had minded his own business, then I might not have had to push him off the roof." Dean's voice said out of the speaker.

"She did it." Nia said. "She got him to confess. Dwayne's reputation is saved."

"We can prove Dean's guilt." Puck said quietly "About Dwayne and Smash."

"Dean is dead, too." Fulton said quietly, still holding Smash.

"…_You know (you know you know you know you know) I'm always here for you. I know (I know I know I know I know) That you'll thank me later…"_

"Are the arrangements made?" Nia asked Fulton as the two of them sat on the bench in the courtyard.

"Yeah. I talked to Smash's parents. First they lost their son, now their daughter. I can only imagine how they must feel." Fulton said quietly, not able to meet Nia's eyes.

"How're you feeling?" she asked softly.

"She was my best friend. The first girl that I loved. And I'll never see her smile again. I think I'll just have to take it day by day, Nia." Nia looked a little crestfallen. "But, I will need someone by my side to make sure that I don't let my pain consume me. Someone that knows the feeling of loss, and I tried to help once before."

Nia looked into Fulton's eyes and a slight smile played on their lips. As they leaned into each other, they weren't interrupted as their lips finally met.

"…_Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all. Pain, without love. Pain, I can't get enough. Pain, I like it rough, 'cause I'd rather have pain than nothing at all…"_

_DISCLAIMER: Disney owns the Mighty Ducks and Three Days Grace owns "Pain" and "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind made a cameo. I only own the characters that weren't in the movies._


	14. When You're Gone

13. When You're Gone

**First and foremost, I would like to thank my wonderful readers who read this even though it's been a year, the story is finally finished! I would like to dedicate this chapter to my bestest friend in the entire world, whitecrowdown. Without her, this chapter would not be possible. She is the Puck to my Smash. This one's all yours, chicky! Without further ado, here is the finale.**

**Puck clutched a small notebook tightly to her chest. The notebook was a small composition notebook covered by random doodles of flowers and hearts. She climbed the stairs to the church stage slowly, as if she could not muster up the energy to make it to the podium. She did make it to the podium, though. She took a deep breath and made it a point not to stare into the faces of the crowd before her. Instead, she focused on the colorful book before her. She didn't need to write it down…she knew what to say.**

"**We've lost a lot of friends this year, but Stephanie Willow Dupry was a diamond…rare, intriguing, and beautiful. While some of you may have know her as Smash, her nick-name was quite misleading. She believed in hope. She believed in truth….and she believed in love. She believed in it so much…that she suffered to uphold it. While her love and body was wasted and abused, we stood by. We watched as her soul was twisted and pushed into the darkness.**

**But Stephanie never gave up on her friends. She never, NOT ONCE, abandoned the ones she cared for. And it is in that love and care that she sacrificed her life to uphold the memory and life of the ones she loved. She was a voice of reason and truth that was snuffed out by the world around her. To those of us who were lucky enough to have known her and loved her, I would like to say I hope we were humbled by her spirit and her faultless heart.**

**Today, we lay to rest the body…but I know that Smash will always be here…in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls." Puck felt her throat constrict. She knew she couldn't stop the tears from coming, but she just wished, for once, she could smile and be strong for Smash like she was for her. Even through the pain and the hurt she suffered. Puck finally looked up to meet the gazes of the faces before her. The team sat in the middle of the crowd, all in black, somber as can be. She spotted Smash's parents. Her mother had a face of stone. She had lost everything now. **

**Puck finally felt a tear trickle down her cheek, as Smash's favorite song "When You're Gone" by Avril Levinge started playing softly. She bowed her head to the crowd and left the stage, stopping before the bright picture surrounded by a wreath of red roses. Smiling at her from beneath the flowers was Smash. She wore her hockey jersey and held her hockey stick proudly. She was truly happy. Her beauty far surpassing that of the flowers that framed her. Puck lost it. She sobbed as hard as she could and set the notebook down on the table with Smash's other belongings. **

**From the front row, Fulton stood and approached the table. He picked up the notebook and examined it. On it's cover in bright green and pink letters was, "Smash and Puck's notebook: No Touchy!" He opened it to find a scrap book of the years before. As he flipped through the pages he found a letter that he had written Smash a long time ago. It simply read , "You and me together forever?" with two boxes marked yes and no. He had never gotten the letter back. He had figured she lost it. But he found it here. Fulton smiled. In red pen the box marked yes had a huge "x" in it with a bright misshapen heart around it. Fulton guessed she was too shy to give it back to him…but she had kept it.**

**Fulton's smile weakened as he shut the notebook on that page that had seemed forever ago. A tear fell down his cheek as he walked over to the mahogany bed where his first love lie. He was reminded of how short forever really was as his leaned down to gently kiss her forehead.**

"**Catch ya on the ice, Smash." he whispered as he turned to face the crowd.**

**THE END**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Mighty Ducks, just the characters **


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Mighty Ducks, Hurt-Comfort, Romance